October 31-November 7, 2020

 May you be well, happy, and peaceful.    

When Bhante Sujatha was 10 years old, he told his parents he would  throw himself off the bridge into the river below his childhood home in  Peradeniya, Sri Lanka, if they did not let him become a monk. Since that  time, he’s remained just as certain and determined to live a life  dedicated to adding more love to the world and helping people heal their  wounded minds.

Bhante has always known he was born to serve humanity and he wakes up  everyday committed to this noble cause, teaching meditation and helping  people access the deeper parts of themselves so they can feel radiant  joy and peaceful happiness. With a single robe and some leftover food,  Bhante left his home country and eventually found his way to America,  where he learned a new language and culture and discovered the aching  desire people have for a more meaningful life.

In a old leaky church basement, Bhante was given a small room to  teach meditation. The first night, two people showed up. A decade  later, The Blue Lotus Temple is a world-renowned Buddhist temple and meditation center that serves  thousands of people locally and even more all over the world, under  Bhante’s leadership as abbot and spiritual director.

Bhante weighs in at 85 pounds, and fifth graders often tower of him,  but make no mistake: This man is a powerhouse of focus, energy, and  determination. Bhante leads more than 380 meditations a year, for which  he travels hundreds of thousands of miles, often walking off a plane and  onto a podium within minutes. He speaks to colleges and universities  across the world, leads small group retreats, and consults with  corporate giants, teaching them all that love is the way and peace is a  constant practice.

Bhante’s humanitarian work spans the globe and most recently oversaw the re-fitting of five hospitals with significant need. In  2013, Bhante Sujatha was awarded the highest honor within his lineage,  as a recognition for the incredible impact he’s made to spreading  Buddhism across America, being named the Chief Sanhga Nayaka of North  America.